Launching a New Year of Sunday School

Do you promote Sunday School? Does your pastor talk about Sunday School in his sermons? Do people share Sunday School testimonies during worship? Are there special days where attention is placed upon the important work Sunday School does? Are new classes promoted?

Every church benefits from launching a new year of Sunday School well. If people don’t know about Sunday School, they won’t be interested. If you don’t talk about Sunday School, people won’t believe it is important. If you don’t promote new classes and special emphases, they won’t be as effective.

Promoting Sunday School should take place all throughout the year in a variety of ways. But one special time deserves annual emphasis. That is the time you are launching the new Sunday School year. For many churches, that is usually in August or September. What can I do to make it special? Consider the following ideas:

• set aside a specific date when preschool, children’s, and youth will move into their new classes by age/grade,
• work to start one or more new classes on that special day,
• put up new signs on every classroom with the class name and age group (including adults),
• set aside special time in worship and during class to pray for the special day,
• have a special day during the week prior to clean up the room and prepare for the special day,
• talk about the special day in worship during the previous two Sundays,
• if you print a newsletter or bulletin, make sure you give attention to the special day,
• decide what you want to call the special day (give it a theme, make it sound special),
• invite every member, absentee, and guest to the special day,
• each class has a fellowship on Friday or Saturday before the special day, specially inviting all absentees and guests,
• enlist Sunday School and class greeters for the special day to give attention to every attender,
• prepare great lessons with plans to involve every attender in the lesson,
• expect guests but don’t embarrass them (don’t ask them to read or pray aloud),
• meet any guests who are expected at the doors of the church and escort them to the classroom,
• get to know and introduce all guests to the class,
• ask guests if you can add them to your class care list (class roll),
• walk guests to restrooms, to find their children, and to worship and sit with them in worship,
• introduce your guests to people in worship,
• after worship, thank your guests for being with you and express your hope they will return, and
• call guests within 72 hours again to thank them for being your guest, ask if they have questions, ask for prayer requests, and pray together.

Overwhelmed by the list? Pick out as many as you think you can do well. Don’t do them alone. Get help. Take advantage of this special day. Make it special for them and for our Lord. Let’s promote Sunday School and make it a great tool for mobilizing God’s people to carry out the Great Commission! Make disciples. Be revolutionary